All posts tagged "Sports"

04/08/2014

From drifting placidly along rivers or lakes to serious 500-mile trips, canoe camping provides the romantic scenery of backpacking without the load on your back. We talked to Darren Bush, the self-styled Chief Paddling Evangelist at Rutabaga Paddlesports and founder of the blog Canoelover.com about some beginner tips and epic trips.

"Some people assume that humans have a gene that allows them to paddle a canoe," said Bush. "But in reality it takes some time and training." Bush stresses dry bags as a pivotal piece of equipment for all canoers. "Anything that can be remotely affected by water needs to be bagged," he said. "Trash bags can be OK, but you really don't want to put your sleeping bag in one of those. You can never have too many dry bags."

Bush described the Lake Country in his home state of Wisconsin as his favorite place for canoe camping. Here are some of his favorite trips in other parts of the US and Canada.

Willamette River Water Trail, Oregon

The Willamette River is one of the main tributaries of the Columbia River. Stretching from Eugene to Portand, Oregon, it's dotted by more than 40 campgrounds. Flowing through the parks and forests of Cascadia as well as cities and towns, the Willamette's current ranges from placid to dynamic, making it a challenge for beginners and experienced paddlers.

Northern Forest Canoe Trail, Northeast States

A network of 22 rivers and over 50 lakes and ponds, the 700-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail flows from the Adirondack Mountains of New York to the far north of Maine. The trail is accessible to less ambitious paddlers, as its route passes through a number of small towns and communities that can be used as take outs and put ins.

Thelon River, Canada

Straddling Nunavut and Northwest Territories, The Thelon River is about as far off the grid as you can go in North America. Unlike the Willamette and Northern Forest Trail, it's possible to paddle the Thelon's entire length without seeing another person. Grizzly bears, moose, white wolves, and wolverines will be your company for this epic float.

--Images courtesy of iStockphoto/Wildnerdpix/llhoward/Warren_Price

Callum Beals is an editorial intern at Sierra. he recently graduated from UC Santa Cruz where he studied history and literature. He enjoys hiking, camping, and waking up at ungodly hours to watch soccer games.

01/29/2014

Have a spare $2.5 million lying around? In search of an ancient volcanic island with an Olympic pedigree? Ailsa Craig off the coast of Scotland might be right for you! The granite of this uninhabited island in the Irish Sea is the source for the majority of curling stones throughout the world, and it is also home to one of the largest gannet colonies in Europe.

Kays of Scotland has been manufacturing curling stones from Ailsa Craig since 1851, with the Blue Hone and Common Green granite of the island being considered the cream of the crop in the curling world. Its water resistant nature is described as being ideal for slick and controlled gliding across the ice. Quarrying of the island's granite ended in 1969, but there still remains vast reserves of its famed volcanic rocks in the crumbling infrastructure of the island.

Once described by the Irish poet John Keats as a "craggy ocean pyramid," the island is now owned by the Scottish peer Archibald Angus Charles Kennedy, the 8th Marquess of Ailsa. The marquess's family has owned the island since the 16th century, but due to bloated inheritance taxes and decades of dwindling revenue, he has been forced to put the ancient island on the market.

Ailsa Craig comes equipped with a ruined castle, a solar powered lighthouse, and a humble cottage. Its castle dates back to the 16th century and was used as a defense against Spanish invaders; the island was also a refuge for Catholics fearing persecution during the Scottish Reformation. It later served as a prison during the 18th and 19th centuries, resembling a sort of Scottish Alcatraz.

01/21/2014

Alex Honnold competes in a sport more commonly covered by National Geographic than ESPN. Yet he's likely garnered more media attention than any other climber before him, for an obvious reason: He climbs giant, sheer walls (such as Half Dome and El Capitan) without using ropes or protection. It's called "free-solo," and it's the most dangerous kind of climbing. Photographed extensively by Jimmy Chin, fawned over by Lara Logan in a 60 Minutes special, and subject of an award-winning Peter Mortimer documentary — Honnold is the poster boy of The North Face, the rock star of Yosemite dirtbags, and the doe-eyed heartthrob to even the most callused climbers.

Last week, Honnold added yet another seemingly impossible achievement to his free-solo climbing resume, ascending 1,500-foot limestone wall of El Sendero Luminoso in El Potrero, Mexico. And though Alex "No Big Deal" Honnold might shrug it off as another awesome day of rock climbing, fellow Yosemite virtuoso Cedar Wright dubbed his effort, "one of the most cutting-edge, big-wall solos of all time."

Understated triumphs, simplicity, and humility: This is not just Honnold the climber, but Honnold the global humanitarian. His nonprofit initiative, Honnold Foundation, strives for succinct solutions in providing green energy to gridless populations. The foundation's mission: "Helping people live better, simply."

We met up with Alex at a Sacramento climbing gym back in November, the day after Thanksgiving. Topics included: graduating from "full dirtbag" to only "kind of dirtbag," planning his skyscraper climb in Taipei, his nonprofit foundation, and the surprising backstory behind an iconic photo.

In recent news, you've settled on climbing one of the tallest skyscrapers in the world, Taipei 101, in Taiwan. When will you get to climb this behemoth?

01/14/2014

One of the most obvious challenges to winter backpacking is keeping warm. But when it comes to staying toasty in the backcountry, top-dollar down jackets and wool socks can only do so much. The key to resisting the cold while trekking through snowy backcountry this winter depends just as much on the food you eat as the gear you wear. Here are our tips for planning, packing, and preparing meals that will fuel your body's furnace, all while keeping your pack light.

Plan Ahead

You may need a scale for this step. For every day of trekking, be sure to pack two pounds of food. Keep in mind this ratio for daily meals: 50% carbohydrates, 25% proteins and 25% fats. Fats, which carry twice as many calories per gram than protein and carbs, warm the body particularly well in snow conditions since fats take longer to be digested.

Cold and Ready

On day hikes, feel free to pack sandwiches, fruits, and veggies. However, on treks lasting more than a day or two, an Italian sub from the grocery store deli can only get you so far. Pack foods that are durable and require little to no cooking: hard breads like baguettes, extra-sharp cheddar (stays fresh in winter temps), jerky, almonds, Granny Smith apples, muesli, ready-to-eat fish, dehydrated mashed potatoes, and a squeeze bottle of olive oil -- to name a few. For more packable food ideas, check out our list of foods for active lifestyles.

01/09/2014

With winter well underway, cold weather sports are kicking into high gear, and many people are prepping themselves and their equipment for the slopes. However, if ski lift lines and rental fees are starting feel a little stale, shake up your normal winter sports routine with one of these unusual snow season adventures:

1. Snow kiting: Though challenging to do, snow kiting is pretty much what it sounds like: participants strap on skis or snowboards, hold on tight to a foil or inflatable kite, and fly across snow or ice. Like most snow sports, snow kiting requires a bit of a learning curve. Beginners can learn the basics at outdoor sports schools all over the country.

2. Wolf Watching in Yellowstone: Though park-approved guides offer wildlife watching excursions year-round, winter is one of the best seasons to track wolves in Yellowstone. Interested parties can arrange custom one- and two-day trips with an experienced wildlife biologist, or join the group at organized catered retreats.

3. Ski Biking:Like snow kiting, ski biking has a simple premise and complicated execution. A number of U.S. resorts are now open to those who hit the slopes on bicycles sporting skis instead of wheels. In Colorado, Winter Park Resort even offers guided night ski biking trips. Though many basic maneuvers will be familiar to those who've skied or ridden bicycles, beginners should think about taking a class or two before braving the mountain. Before forgoing lessons entirely, think for a moment about how you might take your bicycle on a ski lift, and then evaluate your confidence level. That being said, some enthusiasts swear it's just like riding a bike.

12/18/2013

This winter, skiers and snowboarders will populate the alpine wilderness looking to skip the chairlift lines for untouched backcountry slopes.

However, some of the most tasty slices of backcountry carving and shredding in America can also be the most deadly; annual avalanche fatality reports show the sad truth that even the most accomplished skiers and snowboarders can fall prey to the mountain's many hazards.

Avalanche danger constantly presents itself in the unstable snowpack, and it's paramount to not only know how to avoid avalanche situations, but also be aware of the backcountry regions that have historically posed the worst backcountry avalanche activity. Based on summary reports of previous avalanche activity, forecasts, and data compiled by the Colorado Avalanche Information Center, here's a list of backcountry ski spots prone to avalanche activity.

12/10/2013

Vacant slopes, fresh pow, and untouched winter wilderness: If you're a skier, snowboarder, snowshoer, or climber, chances are your boots may be treading on avalanche-prone territory this winter season.

Avalanches are a sobering reality. More than any other natural hazard in the backcountry, they bury dozens of outdoor recreationists every season. Last winter experienced a high number in avalanche-related deaths, in which 24 people died in the US: 8 were skiers, 7 were snowboarders, and the rest were snowshoers, climbers, and trekkers.

Learning about the mountain's snowpack habits can be be a life-saver for you and other adventure aficionados. Based on a checklist published in mountaineering Bible Freedom of the Hills, along with some anecdotal wisdom from avalanche forecaster Brandon Schwartz at Sierra Avalanche Center,we encourage our readers to follow these essential DO's and DON'Ts, keeping in mind the four main elements that cause avalanches: terrain, snowpack,weather, and people. After all, what's more fun than keeping yourself and others from getting buried alive in several feet of snow?

11/19/2013

Before setting out to achieve your childhood dream of climbing Everest, you might want to start with something smaller to break in your boots, crampons, and ice axe. We recommend some low-altitude hikes up some of America's most beautiful (and less challenging) peaks, to not only get a taste for thin air but also appreciate what the lower 48 has to offer. Best of all, you don't have to go to the Swiss Alps or Nepal's Himalayas to find phenomenal views, manageable approaches, hanging glaciers, granite faces, stunning aretes, and rewarding alpine views, all for a relatively easy experience in the mountains.

Mount AdamsThe eastern range of the Cascades in Washington state hosts several active and dormant volcanic peaks, among them Mount Adams (pictured), the third-tallest volcano in the range. This peak has several diverse and rare alpine features for its elevation, like the prominent Mazama Glacier with a ramp-like headwall and plenty of crevasses — a more challenging route to the top that requires at least a rope and a partner. The South Spur, however, makes for a far less challenging approach — most of it an uphill hike through the snow — but an ice axe and crampons (particularly in the winter season) are recommended. Class 2, 12,276 ft.

11/14/2013

Consider this your syllabus for Mountaineering 101. Below, we've collected a literary canon with tales of adventure, miraculous survival, spiritual journeys, heart-wrenching losses, and timeless instruction on how best to sneak up on a summit and live to tell the tale. These authors — ranging from beatniks to bestsellers, celebrated climbers to average Joes — take you on an eloquent trek through moraines, into (yes, into) crevasses, up headwalls, all the way to the top and back. These books vary from sobering nonfiction and to vivid yarns; however, they each give glimpses into the zeitgeist of modern-day mountaineering: romance and bleak reality, heroism and cowardice, triumph and failure, death and survival.

Before even lacing your boots and breaking out the ice axe, read this book! Most of the world's greatest climbers, alpinists, and mountaineers — from Dean Potter to Conrad Anker and Ed Viesturs — all maintain a biblical reverence for this book, having read earlier editions back when they were young, spry climbers. Indeed, in its 600 pages of climbing fundamentals, knot diagrams, belaying techniques, survival tips, and much, much more, Freedom of the Hills contains a scripture-like truth: "The quest of the mountaineer, in simplest terms, is for the freedom of the hills..."

11/05/2013

As winter approaches, ski bums are checking off tasks on their ski season prep list: choose your resort, make green travel plans, choose sustainable equipment. But no matter how early you bought your lift ticket or gear, a pulled muscle or injured knee can still ruin your trip (or season). In Washington, The Inner Circle Gym's Adam Vognild teaches ski conditioning classes to help participants get their muscles ready for the backcountry skiing, downhill skiing, and snowshoeing season ahead. "People don't get hurt on the first day of their ski trip," says Vognild. "They typically get hurt on the third or fourth day, when they don’t have the endurance to keep going."

If you're serious about getting in shape, working with an instructor or trainer is key, Vognild said. It may be hard to believe, but there is a wrong way to do squats, and "you only get so many bad repetitions before you hurt yourself." Check out gyms in your area to see if they offer dry land training courses, or discuss your needs with a trainer who can give you tips for safe and productive exercise.

Vognild shared with us six important components of dry land ski training, and recommended a few basic exercises to get started:

User comments or postings reflect the opinions of the responsible contributor only, and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of any posting. The Sierra Club accepts no obligation to review every posting, but reserves the right (but not the obligation) to delete postings that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate.